Jordan

As demands for political change continue to be voiced across the Arab world, the political climate in Jordan has remained relatively stable. After months of mostly peaceful demonstrations, with protestors demanding changes to the country's constitution to increase space for democratic politics, King Abdullah ll announced that the country would undertake political reforms and a tougher fight against corruption. Catholic Relief Services enjoys close partnerships with Caritas Jordan and the Adaleh Center for Human Rights and Law, supporting programs that encourage active civic engagement and others that offer health care, social services and legal assistance to Iraqi refugees and female migrant workers.

Stats

Population:

6,482,081 (July 2013 est.)

Size:

34,495 sq. mi.; slightly smaller than Indiana

People Served:

57,775

History

While no longer maintaining our own office in Jordan, Catholic Relief Services supports the work of two Jordanian non-governmental organizations: Caritas Jordan and the Adaleh Center for Human Rights and Law. Working with these two organizations, CRS is able to assist the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees and female migrant workers—people who come to Jordan fleeing sectarian violence and persecution or seeking decent work but who, as guests in the country, are dependent on the generosity and solidarity of others in times of need. CRS' programming in Jordan is managed by staff based in Beirut and Istanbul.

Partners

Caritas Jordan was established in 1967 and has developed into a dynamic organization that is now one of the most active non-governmental organizations in Jordan, despite the small size of the Catholic community that sponsors it. Caritas Jordan has considerable experience and expertise assisting migrant workers and refugees, and is especially active in promoting civic engagement and voluntarism among Jordanians. With the support of Catholic Relief Services and others, Caritas Jordan undertakes programs serving thousands of people in all parts of the country.

Adaleh Center for Human Rights and Law was established in 2003 to promote and defend human rights in Jordan. By training judges and law enforcement officials in international human rights law, advocating for legislation that incorporates human rights protections and offering free legal services to those whose human rights are abused, Adaleh is contributing to creating a society that protects basic human rights and freedoms and upholds the values of dignity, equality, tolerance and respect.

Programs

Catholic Relief Services has supported Caritas Jordan's "Volunteers Program" since its inception in 2000. This project encourages Christian communities in Jordan—who make up about 4 percent of the country's population of 6.5 million—to participate in the social work of the Church. In 46 Catholic parishes throughout the country, more than 1,000 volunteers now regularly participate in social outreach activities to their poorest and most vulnerable neighbors. In addition, in 15 high schools throughout the country Caritas Jordan sponsors a similar volunteer program that reaches some 2,000 teenagers, both Muslim and Christian, focusing on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and living in community. More than 300 students are active volunteers in their communities as a result of this program.

Jordan hosts some 400,000 Iraqi refugees and close to 100,000 female migrant workers from Asia. In different ways, both groups are vulnerable, receiving little protection and few services from the government. Since 2002 CRS has supported Caritas Jordan's "Community Center for Refugees and Migrant Workers," where Iraqi refugee families and Asian female migrant workers receive health care, counseling and social services not otherwise available to them.

While the prevalence of HIV is relatively low in Jordan, rates of infection have been rising over the last few years. Still, little is being done to raise awareness about the disease, resulting in both ignorance about how it is contracted and stigma attaching to people with HIV. Catholic Relief Services supports Caritas Jordan's efforts to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, particularly among young people—efforts that have been recognized by the Jordanian Government for their effectiveness.

Legal Services for Migrant Workers
Jordan hosts an estimated 100,000 Asian female migrant workers, largely unskilled, who work as maids. As many as half of them are in the country illegally. Supported by Catholic Relief Services since 2007, the Adaleh Center for Human Rights and Law in Amman operates a legal aid unit, with five attorneys, that is dedicated entirely to providing free legal services to migrant workers: representing women accused of crimes or seeking to escape exploitative working conditions, negotiating with former employers, and working to shut down the unscrupulous recruitment agencies that exploit these women.